Peshkov told Keir Simmons of NBC News that he considered the two men “soldiers of luck” who did not enlist in the Ukrainian army – which means, he said, that Russia does not believe they are protected by the Geneva Conventions. When asked if Russia knew for sure that the two men were not members of the Ukrainian army, Peshkov said the matter would be investigated “in due course”. He also claimed that the two men, as a result of their alleged status as mercenaries, were involved in “illegal activity”, including the shooting and bombing of members of the Russian army. “They should be held accountable for those crimes they have committed,” he said.
Concerns have grown over the whereabouts of Huynh, a Marine, and Drueke, a veteran of the Iraq war, last week. Fellow soldiers told Britain’s The Telegraph that the couple had volunteered with a unit of foreign fighters in the Ukrainian army when they disappeared. U.S. Army veterans Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh and Alexander Drueke have left their homes in Alabama to serve with the Ukrainian Army on the battlefield. They were reportedly captured by Russian forces during fighting in eastern Ukraine in June 2022. Earlier in June, a Moroccan and two captured British fighters were sentenced to death by firing squad for fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. The three men were tried and convicted in a Russian-backed separatist court in Donetsk, one of the two largest districts in Donbass, Ukraine.
Asked if he could promise that Huynh and Drueke would not face the same sentence, Peskov said “nothing can be guaranteed”. “It depends on the research,” he said. The US State Department said last week that it was also examining reports of a third missing American in Ukraine. A family friend identified the man as retired Marine Grady Kurpasi, a 20-year-old U.S. Army veteran. In an interview with Simmons, Peshkov also spoke about Brittney Griner, the American WNBA star who was arrested in Russia in February for allegedly carrying steam cartridges with hemp oil. Griner’s pre-trial detention has since been extended several times. When Simmons said the US government was now approaching Griner’s detention as a hostage situation, Peskov said he would “strongly disagree” with that description. “We can not call her a hostage,” he said. “Why call her a hostage? She violated Russian law and is now being prosecuted. She is not a hostage.” Chris Livesay contributed to the report. More Victoria Albert Victoria Albert is a news editor at Sr. on CBS News. Contact her at [email protected]